Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-10-27
DAN EMMETT AND DIXIE.
How the Father of Ninstrelsy
Wrote the Song.

The original burnt-cOrk minstrel O.
America sat in his comfortable vine
clad cottage on Butterfield street neal
Thirteenth, last evening, and revived
a number of ancient gags" Who
among show people has not heard OF
Uncle Dan Emmett, the author Of
"Dixie," that queer melody which
has taken its place in history along
with "Yankee Doodle" and the Star
Spangled Banner?"
81 want you to understand, Uncle
Dan said, as he invited q reporter to a
seat with his rich baritone voice that
would have done credit to an inter-
locutor, "that I've got good harness
to put on when l go down town. Pm
in the milk business now, and I've
got on my milk clothes. Yes sir, Fm
seventy-two years old, and peddling
milk yet"
A glance at the conspicuous sign at
the front gate was proof that Uncle
Dan meant what he said. "Pure
Milk" was the announcement which
the sign made to the Butterfield street
population.
1t is always more or less interesting
to note what moods and circumstances
compass a man when he produces a
song or an air that takes the whole
popuace by the ears. Was itinspira-
ton that produced cold Dan Tucker? ?"
Was it genius that evolved "Such q
Gittin' Up Stairs" Dan Emmett
was requested to throw light on the
mystery that enveloped the birth of
"Dixie."
INyENTING wALK-ARoUNDs.
"You knew Jere Bryant, didn't you
Not Dan, but Jere," Mr.. Emmett
said. "Well, it was in the spring of
80, think, when l was in the en-
ploy of the Bryant minstrels in New
York. Where was Bryant? Why, at
472 Broadway in them days. My par
ticular business was to invent walk
arounds.' One day Jere said things
was getting very dull, and he says to
me: Dan, can't you get up some
thing, and do it lin a hury?' Well,
sir, the very next night the new walk
round was ON the bills. Il Wish I was
in Dixie's Land was the name gave
it, and nobody ever new how it come
to be called Dixie
"The song was taken up and be-
came very popular all over. Every
band going through New York to the
war played it. Music publishers in
Cincinnati, Louisville and New Or
leans cribbed it and got into lawsuits
about the authorship. Finally l told
them I didn't care dun what they
called the song, the words an music
was mine, an if they didn't let it up
I'd push 'em as far as the law would
make 'em go. Then Firth Il Pond
published it for me, after which there
was never any dispute about the au-
thorship.
'I'll tell you funny incident about
that song; it was burned funny.
When 1 was playing in the Kerwin
variety show in Chicago, in 1866, one
night q strapping big six-foot Ken.
tuckian came up to me an held out
his hand sort o. friendly like, an
said:
'Is your name Dan Emmett"
yes" said /.
"By CAD, sir, gimme your paw, ole
man you're the author OF Dixie It's
the greatest piece of music ever writ
ten I'd sooner be the author o.
Dixie than OF old Hundred.
The Dan Emmett OF to-day does not
much resemble the gay young troub
adour so highly complimented by tbt
enthusiastic Kentuckian. He is get
ting old very fast. But the impuls,
to play the clown is still burning il
him. He was born in 1915, at Mt
Vernon, o.
At the age of twelve he could pla,
the violin cleverly, but his father
who was blacksmith, kept hin
blowing the bellows most of the time
"The old man made me blow til
bellows, but was proud of my musical
ability" said the old-time minstrel
Groom showmen used to come 'roun
and they'd engage me to fiddle fo